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Internal hallucination
Contents
This image serves as an example of visionary art that attempts to accurately portray and replicate the experience of psychedelic level 7 geometry combined with level 5 internal hallucinations.
by SalviaDroid
An internal hallucination is the perception of a visual hallucination that exclusively occurs within an imagined environment that can typically only be viewed with closed eyes,12 similar to those found within dreams.345 This is in stark contrast to external hallucinations, which display themselves seamlessly into the person's surrounding environment as if they were physically present.
At lower levels, internal hallucinations begin with imagery on the back of a person's eyelids, which do not take up the entirety of one's visual field and are distinct from their background. These can be described as spontaneous moving or still images of scenes, concepts, places, or anything one could imagine. The imagery is manifested in varying levels of realism ranging from ill-defined and cartoon-like to wholly realistic. They rarely hold their form for more than a few seconds before fading or shifting into another image. It is worth noting that this level of intensity occurs in a manner similar to that of hypnagogia, the state between sleep and wakefulness.
At higher levels, internal hallucinations become increasingly elaborate as they eventually become all-encompassing, fully-fledged 3D scenes that surround the person in a manner similar to that of dreams. This can create the feeling that one has "broken-through" into another reality. The things that occur within this perceived alternate reality can be anything, but fall under common archetypes such as contact with autonomous entities, alongside a wide variety of imagined landscapes and scenarios.
This effect is capable of manifesting itself across the 5 different levels of intensity described below:
Level 1Enhancement of mental visualization
At the lowest level, internal hallucinations can be defined as the distinct enhancement of mental visualisation that a person drifts into while daydreaming or using their imagination. It can be described as a short-term detachment from one’s immediate surroundings; during which, a person’s contact with reality is blurred and partially substituted by an ill-defined fantasy. The details of this internal visualisation are chosen in a slightly spontaneous or autonomous nature, but are mostly consciously controlled by the content of one’s current thought stream.
Level 2Partially defined imagery
At this level, internal hallucinations consist of partially defined, blurred, and faded imagery within a person’s visual field. This is where the content of these hallucinations usually becomes more spontaneous in nature and out of the person’s conscious control.
Level 3Fully defined imagery
At this level, the vividness and intensity increases in a fashion that renders the imagery seen within one’s visual field as fully defined and realistic in its appearance.
Level 4Partially defined immersion
At this level, the vividness, scope, and intensity of the hallucinations become all-encompassing in a way that displays momentary flashes of scenes that surround the person in an immersive environment, similar to that of a vague dream. Although all-encompassing, they are often blurred or transparent in appearance and the person’s physical senses remain partially connected to the real world.
Level 5Fully defined immersion
At the highest level, the internal hallucinations further increase to become all-encompassing in a manner that displays long-lasting scenes surrounding the person with an explorable and fully immersive environment similar to that of a dream. This occurs in a fashion that is fully detailed and highly vivid in its appearance. Typically, it also occurs alongside relevant auditory and tactile hallucinations, as well as the sensation that a person has become completely disconnected from their physical body.
Outside of this levelling system, the subjective intensity of internal hallucinations are not only dependent on their detail or level of immersion, but also upon the speed and rate at which they successively occur between each other. For example, during the experience of internal hallucinations, it is possible to find oneself in a state that presents a relentless stream of intensely vivid hallucinations. This occurs at such a rapid rate that it eventually becomes psychologically exhausting to endure them, regardless of their thematic content. The sheer amount of content experienced in this state often results in powerful time dilation, which seems to stem from the fact that abnormally large amounts of experiences are being felt in very short periods of time. This is also consistently accompanied by states of sensory overload and ego death in a manner that can subjectively feel as if it is a consequence of the brain allocating all of its processing power into rendering hallucinations at the expense of other cognitive faculties.
The content within these internal hallucinations can be further broken down into four distinct sub-components. These are described and documented within their own dedicated articles, each of which are listed below:
It is worth noting that the content, style, and general behaviour of an internal hallucination is often largely dependent on the emotional state of the person experiencing it. For example, a person who is emotionally stable and generally happy will usually be more prone to experiencing neutral, interesting, or positive hallucinations. In contrast, however, a person who is emotionally unstable and generally unhappy will usually be more prone to experiencing sinister, fear-inducing, and negative hallucinations.
Internal hallucinations are often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as geometry, external hallucinations and delusions. They are most commonly induced under the influence of heavy dosages of hallucinogenic compounds, such as psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. However, they can also occur under the influence of stimulant psychosis, sleep deprivation, and during dreams.
Style Variations
The specific differences between each potential style of internal hallucination can be broken down into the following variations:
LucidvsDelirious
A person experiencing a lucid hallucinatory state can maintain a consistent level of awareness regarding the fact that none of these events are actually occurring and the effects are simply the result of a drug-induced hallucination. In contrast with this, delirious hallucinations may also become completely believable, no matter how nonsensical they may be. This is exactly the same way that people do not have any problem accepting absurd and non-linear plots within their dreams.
FixedvsInteractive
Internal hallucinations can present themselves as fixed in their content in a manner that is similar to watching a video play out in front of one’s field of vision. In contrast, they may also be interactive, allowing one to do things such as converse with autonomous entities or interact with imagined objects in a fashion similar to a dream or virtual reality video game.
New experiencesvsOld experiences
In terms of their subject matter, hallucinations can either be entirely new experiences or they can be old, everyday experiences in the form of replayed memories.
ControllablevsAutonomous
The content and subject matter of hallucinations can be partially to completely controllable or seemingly random in nature. When controllable, their content seems to perfectly follow and fit the general subject matter of one’s current thought stream, with varying levels of control. In contrast, autonomous hallucinations are completely spontaneous in their subject matter and entirely uncontrollable.
Geometry-basedvsSolid
Hallucinations can be comprised of condensed psychedelic geometry or they can appear to be made from realistic and/or lifelike materials. This is usually dependent upon the type of substance consumed.
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